Talk:Synodality

Neologism or not?

I wouldn't say that it comes "from" synod, I perceive it as a sibling of the word synod, a true neologism created from the two same parent words. They say “The church is synodal”, and we know the synod is some kind of Church council where high-level clericals decide about high-level issues. But don't tell me they wanted to say that the church lives only in some assemblies of bishops! --LucSaffre (talk) 16:12, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

@LucSaffre: do you have any reliable source for your claim? Veverve (talk) 16:20, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

No, it's just my feeling. And I am not a linguist. LucSaffre (talk) 16:28, 15 January 2022 (UTC)

History of the term?

Would anyone like to add a section on the history of the term "synodality". What sources show its use prior to Pope Francis?

Have churches other than the Roman Catholic denomination used the term? I know others have a synod-based authority and/or decision-making structure, but do they use the term "synodality"?

Matthew C. Clarke  05:42, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

I wrote about the term some years ago on : The Church has done already some work for explaining synodality. A number of documents has been published by the Vatican. See the “Resources” section on our website. Pope Francis used it during a speech on 20151017. The first explicit document is Synodality in the life and mission of the Church., a study lead by the ITC and published in March 2018. LucSaffre (talk) 07:31, 26 May 2026 (UTC)

A better definition of synodality is desperately needed

I read the article and I'm no better off. Apparently synodality has something to do with fraternalism? And it was associated with Pope Francis? I wasn't surprised to learn (twice) that it was discussed at the Synod on Synodality, but that hardly explains what it *is*. Joe in Australia (talk) 00:24, 1 July 2026 (UTC)